Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 1, 1994 TAG: 9405010114
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TALLADEGA, ALA. LENGTH: Medium
Kinser changed all that Saturday and thrilled sprint car fans from coast to coast with a stirring victory in the International Race of Champions at Talladega Superspeedway.
Kinser beat the NASCAR boys at their own game on their own turf, leading the final 25 laps of the third round of the 1994 IROC series in his blood-red Dodge Avenger to win by about a car-length over road-racer Jack Baldwin.
"It's unbelievable," Kinser said afterward. "What I know [about stock car racing] is not a whole lot. I tell you, I'm really happy. This is one of the biggest days of my life."
Dale Jarrett finished third, followed by Tom Kendall and Al Unser Jr. Kinser gave Unser credit for his victory.
"He stayed right there and pushed me right up there," Kinser said. "I probably have to give him more of this victory than myself. But it's nice to be here."
There was the usual wild scrambling during the early portion of this 38-lap event, and at one point, cars were four abreast across the backstretch. And, as usual, it took Dale Earnhardt less than two laps to charge into the lead from the back of the pack.
Kinser didn't show much during the early laps, but he knew he had a strong car.
"Right before we went out to race, Dale Earnhardt came up to me and told me that the red car was fast," Kinser said. "He said it ran all over him at Daytona with [Al Unser] Jr. in it."
Kinser did not squander his opportunity. He took the lead for the first time on lap 14 and then was passed by a cluster of cars in turn 1 on lap 15. But with Unser drafting behind him, Kinser said he "found me one little hole down the middle and sort of squeezed through" and back into the lead on the same lap.
The race settled down after that, with Kinser at the head of a four-car breakaway that also included Unser, Baldwin and Earnhardt, in that order.
And that's the way it stayed until the last lap. At that point, Kinser was fully expecting to lose.
"I really didn't know what was going to happen then," he said. "But I thought, `Well, this is great. At least I can get a fourth-place finish out of it.' "
Unser and Earnhardt, however, didn't have the firepower for that final shootout. On the last lap, Baldwin managed to swing around Unser, but he had nothing for Kinser. While Unser dropped back to finish fifth, Earnhardt slipped to eighth.
"I guess when I got into turn 3 on the final lap, I felt like I had a real good chance then," Kinser said. "I saw that me and Jack got away from Junior and Dale." And all he had to do was block Baldwin, which he did.
Kinser had a sprint car race scheduled this weekend in Knoxville, Iowa, and he said, "I'm sure all the sprint car fans back in Knoxville are going to be proud of me - probably even the ones who don't like me."
Mark Martin finished last in the field of 12 drivers, but going into the final IROC race on July 30 in Brooklyn, Mich., he still has a four-point lead over Earnhardt for the series championship. Baldwin is third, followed by Kinser and Rusty Wallace.
But Kinser has no designs on the championship. He's had his thrill for the year. "I don't care if I run dead last now," he said.
Meanwhile, Jeff Purvis won the Food World 500K ARCA race over Bobby Bowsher. Mark Thompson was third, followed by Jimmy Horton and Bill Venturini in a mostly trouble-free event. There were only six minor spins and accidents.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB